She nodded, glancing to her arms, where his hands had just been, before looking up at him. "Things-things like that are fine, most of the time." She said quietly, after a few moments of thought. Certain places were easier than others, and her arms were one of those places, usually.
He just nodded, going back to spinning one of the rings around his finger. His tongue flicked out to brush against his lip ring. The strange air around them was making him a little more fidgety than usual. He didn't make a move to get any closer or touch her again, just waited for her to say if she was ready to resume their walk to her room or not.
She shook her head, reaching up to rub the back of her neck as she motioned down the hallway with her other hand. She didn't like how vulnerable she kept finding herself around him, but it seemed like fate had decided that would be a common occurrence. "Shall we?"
He dipped his chin in a slight nod. "We shall." He turned and motioned for her to follow, keeping a leisurely pace as he walked down the hall. He wasn't in any rush to head back to the ball—no matter that he was supposed to be the guest of honor.
She followed, at his side but just a step behind him, fiddling with the ring. She'd slipped it onto her finger to keep from losing it, and found an odd comfort with it there. "You mentioned catching lightning bugs as a kid." She said quietly, offering a lighter topic to turn to. "What was that like? Growing up here?"
A muscle feathered in his cheek as he clenched his jaw some. "It had its bright moments, like the lightning bugs, but other than that…" he trailed off, shrugging. "I was either getting yelled at and chased by the maids, getting punished by my parents, being forced into classes about proper eating etiquette or some other boring and useless thing, escaping said classes, getting reamed out by the tutors…" He trailed off again. "My sister tried 'correcting' my behavior by offering to teach me. She'd always make it fun or interactive, and I was actually a good kid for a bit."
All it took to notice the mistake in subject was the way he clenched his jaw, and she made a mental not to avoid things like that in the future. Nice going. "Learning. What-what was that like? Learning with her, I mean?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself. She'd been forced to teach herself when she could, and the one teacher she could remember didn't stand out much in her memory.
He bowed his head as he played with his rings. "It didn't last long, as she didn't have much time, but everything she taught me I still remember." A wistful smile played on his lips as he spoke. "She taught me about horseback riding and hunting. When I stole some of her jewelry, she taught me the value of different gems and metals. She showed me how to judge the basics of someone's personality and use it to my advantage in a political debate."
She reached up, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder for a few moments before withdrawing it, trying to offer as close to the kind of comfort he seemed used to as she could. He hadn't said it outright, but it was fairly easy to guess that she…wasn't around. "She sounds like she was a great teacher."
He glanced over at her in surprise but did feel oddly comforted by her touch. He blinked and looked away again, drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Yeah, she was. She would've made a great Queen, but it would seem someone else disagreed. She disappeared when I was 9. After a year of searching, she was declared dead." He spun one of his rings some more before he said quietly, "Isla, was her name."
(eye-la)
"Isla." She said softly, looking down at the ring in her hand. There were a million things that could have happened to her, but a few stuck out in her mind. "She gave you this." She said, a statement, not a question. "You should take it back."
He shook his head, refusing it once again. "No. I don't need it anymore. I'm the heir to the throne; I shouldn't be frolicking around looking for trouble and hoping that my luck hasn't run out just yet. You have your nightmares and demons to contest with, and I hope that, just maybe, that'll provide the help that I can't give." He stopped fiddling with his ring and stuffed his hands in his pockets, head bowed. What he didn't tell Lily was that that ring had been passed down from generation to generation, hopping between kingdoms and countries, given to friends and lovers by those that thought of them as someone special. Legends claimed it truly did protect and help those bearing the ring—and that once given to another, it was now theirs to keep.
Then again, those were just silly legends passed on as bedtime stories.
And you're going to end up another name on my list of demons, and people I've hurt. She bit her lip, fiddling with the ring a bit before sliding it back into place on her finger and looking up at him. Her heart hurt, knowing he didn't exactly get the chance to be a kid at a normal pace, something she understood. "You're an heir. Not a ruler yet. What if…you had just a bit of fun before having to take on the full responsibility?"
He huffed a small laugh, shaking his head. "What do you think I've been doing? I've wasted my time doing what I love, but the cruel reality of my position still hangs over my head. It's best if I just…give in and deal with it." His emerald eyes were dim; they lacked the usual amusement and joy that brightened them.
If anyone was fit to be the next official ruler, it would be either Magnus or Cinthia. But tradition decreed that the first born child of the royal line was to be the heir. He had tried to change his parents' minds about the tradition, but they would hear none of it. They were well aware of his opposition to being King, so they just saw it as a sorry excuse to get out of it.
"I know, I know. It's not the best idea, but I meant…smaller things." She looked off, fiddling with a strand of hair. "Normal things. Beyond stealing." She sighed, shaking her head. It didn't make sense, to get so worried over and attached to the man she was supposed to kill, and yet, here she was. "I'm sorry." She said quietly, the words carrying a double meaning that wouldn't make much sense. "That you have to take on that position, without any choice."
He shrugged, shoulders remaining by his ears for a few seconds before dropping. "I don't know much else besides causing trouble. It's all I've ever done. Cin…She's amazing. She can speak a ton of languages, dominate any debate, create battle strategies off of the top of her head, knows a hell of a lot more than I do about foreign kingdoms and countries, can get others on her side just like that," he snapped his fingers, then sighed. "If you ask me, she's the better choice."
"She'd make an amazing Queen." She agreed, looking up at him. "But I think you'd make a great King, Rhydar." The honesty in her voice surprised her, and she shoved away the dark thoughts threatening to follow.
He turned his gaze onto Lily and didn't look away after a few seconds. He just looked down at her, trying to find something on her face that told him if she were lying to make him feel better. He couldn't find anything, but he shook his head anyway. "I skipped out on tea, remember? And I'm skipping out on a ball as well."
"You're skipping out on a ball to make sure to make sure a woman who was…assaulted, is okay." She pointed out softly, not removing her eyes from his. "And there's nothing wrong with skipping out on tea with women who very likely are simply after the position being married to you brings. Call it protecting the throne if you must."
He sighed, flicking his eyes away before bringing them back to hers. "If you say so." He didn't believe for a second that he was worthy of being called King. He was a royal bandit—nothing more. He sought out fun and entertainment while pushing everyone away with his antics. He wasn't protecting the throne when he avoided those women—he was being selfish and avoiding a situation he didn't want to be in. As for what he was doing for Lily…he had yet to figure out what exactly he was doing.
"I do, Rhydar. You might not see it, but I do." She sighed, shaking her head as she wrapped her arms around herself to keep from fidgeting more. She had no doubt that he'd make an amazing King. He had his things, but so did every ruler, if they were being honest.
He just shrugged and paused at a door, licking his lip ring. "Here you go," he said, looking down at her. He resumed fidgeting with his rings, spinning them around his fingers. "I'm sorry that tonight didn't exactly turn out all that nice for you," he said softly.
"You're not allowed to apologize either." She chided gently, shaking her head. "This wasn't your fault." She gave him a small smile, placing her hand on the door knob. "But you did make it a bit better after. I much prefer catching lightning bugs over standing in the corner of a crowded ballroom."
He offered a small smile in return. "I'm glad I could be of service," he said jokingly, sketching a bow. "But in all seriousness," he said as he straightened, "I am happy that I wasn't a total waste of space and helped you out a bit—even if the lightning bugs did most of the work," he added with a soft laugh.
"Much more than a waste of space." She promised with a small laugh. "I wouldn't have found the lightning bugs without you. Thank you, seriously." She added, her face softening. "The night ended better than I thought it would."
His smile brightened some more as he listened to her. "Well, though it started out a little…shakey…it's been my pleasure to see you smile afterwards," he admitted.
The light blush returned to her cheeks at his comment, and she bit her lip, looking down for a second. That was twice now her smile had been mentioned, as though it was something special. "I-" She seemed unsure how to respond to that, reaching up to fiddle with her hair.
He looked past her at the grand clock at the end of the hallway. "Well…" he started, shifting his weight to his other foot. "This is where we part ways tonight." Though he didn't exactly smile, his eyes crinkled. "Goodnight, Lily."
She blinked, looking back up at him. "Right. Uh, good night, Rhydar. And again, thank you." After a moment, she gave him a full, warm smile, while pushing the door to her room open. "Try to keep some room in your schedule open for me tomorrow, if you can."
He grinned, a part of his mind practically melting at the sight of her warm smile. "I'll always make time for you, milady. You're the best part of my day," he added with a quick wink, starting to turn away. Though his room wasn't too far from hers, he wanted to head out for a bit and get some fresh air—away from the palace.